This project started because my study was looking messy where I had hand bags and tote bags piled up in one spot. As space is very valuable in an apartment, a bag stand was another way we could optimise and organise our space. I considered different designs that were already on the market, including streamlined ones are similar to what I have built, open bookcase styles, metal and plastic stands. There are also interesting wooden coat stands to draw inspiration from.

This design is fine for handbags, hats and a few tote bags, and takes up minimum floor space. I also prefer the warm, homely feel of a quality wooden stand. I'm happy overall with this bag stand; the streamlined look, beautiful wood grain, smooth feel, and the space looks clearer.

Aspects of this build that you might want to consider improviing are stability; it has a slight wobble, possibly because the bottom is not perfectly straight and/or because it is top heavy. Ways of improving this could include designing a sturdier base, allowing for heavier bags to be placed onto the stand without risk of tipping it over. I also placed felt floor protectors under the base which has helped. You may also want to consider revising the design to allow for greater storage.

Supplies

Woodworking Equipment:

Woodworking Bench
Table Saw
Surface Planer (Jointer)
Planer Thicknesser
Band Saw
Drill Press
Belt Sander

Safety Equipment:

Eye protection (safety glasses)
Hearing protection (ear muffs)
Safety footwear (steel cap boots)
Dust mask
Fitted, high strength disposable gloves

Tools:

Hand Held Router
Flush Trim Bit
Round Over Bits
Biscuit Joiner
Biscuits
Drill Press
Hand Held Drill;
Drill Bits
Coutersink Drill Bit
Electric Orbital Sander
Woodworking Clamps - small, med and large
Putty Knife
Computer
Calculator
Ruler
Pencil and eraser
Paper

Supplies:

Wood;
European White Ash wood (or similar);
Rough
approx. 1 x 1720mm x 65mm x 65mm (stem)
approx. 1 x 330mm x 330mm x 40mm (base) - you can glue 2 pieces together if required
approx 320mm x 160mm x 40mm (hangers)
Woodworking glue - quality, fast-drying, for interior use (small amount)
Woodfiller (in a colour that matches the wood, e.g. 'natural')
Cardboard - scrap - equivalent of 2 boxes
Hardwax oil - high quality, non toxic, colourless - small tin
3 x Sanding sheets (electric orbital sander) - various grits
4 x Sanding sheets - (hand-sanding) - various grits
1 x 400 grit Wet & Sandpaper - 1 sheet or small roll.
1 x Sanding block (this can be made by cutting a bit of spare wood into a rectangular block)
1 x Sandpaper piece- wet and dry - 400 grit
1 x Sanding Block
1 x large Screw (to attach base)
4 x 50mm round floor protector pads
Masking Tape (small amount)
Rags (clean)
Small waterproof container

Step 1: Select, Smooth & Flatten Wood

Source good quality wood from a timber supplier - I used European White Ash. Start with a rough wooden boards to be able to make 1 x 1720mm x 65mm x 65mm (stem), 1 x 330mm x 330mm x 40mm (base) and approx 320mm x 160mm x 40mm (hangers). For the base, I glued 2 pieces of wood togther (with biscuit joints).

Select wood boards based on their quality, including colour, wood grain, straightness, and consistency (lack of chips/damage).

Put wood boards through the planer and thicknesser;

Smooth one flat surface into each piece of wood with a Surface Planer (Jointer).
Reduce the thickness of the rough wood and smooth wood using a Thickness Planer. Use the flat surface that you created in each piece as a reference surface while passing it through the thicknesser. The final thickness of each piece of wood should be;
stem: 50mm
base: 35mm
hangers: 30mm

Step 2: Base - Cut, Glue, Sand

Using the table saw, cut 2 pieces of wood - 310mm x155mm x 35mm.
Join the two pieces together with 2 biscuit joints and wood glue.
Clamp and leave overnight to dry.
Mark out a circle on the wood with a 300mm diameter.
Cut out the circular shape using a bandsaw - leaving a bit extra that will be neatly cleaned off with a router;
Smooth off the sides with a hand-held router with a flush trim bit.
Create the rounded edge on the top outer circle using a router and round over cutter.
Create the smaller rounded edge using the appropriate router bit.
Note: avoid burn marks by moving reasonably fast on final pass.
Sand the base with an electric sander, then do the fine detail by hand - including the curves on the top of the base.

Step 3: Preparation: Attaching Hangers to Stem

Mark out the position of the hangers on the stem;
After making a cardboard model, and seeing what was on the market, it made more sense to have 2 'clusters' of hangers, leaving adequate room for bags to hang.
The upmost hanger is 100mm from the top, then the 3 hangers below are on each of the other sides, 30mm lower than the last.
The 2nd cluster of 4 hangers starts 900mm from the bottom of the stem, and follows the same pattern.
Mark out on the stem and 8 hangers where the biscuit joints will go.
Using the biscuit joiner, make holes in the stem and 8 hangers.
Do a dry run - attaching the hangers to the stem with the biscuit joints (without glue).

Step 4: Round Edges - Stem and Hangers

Use a router to round off the edges of the stem and hangers (following appropriate safety precautions - especially when handling the hangers).
Use a belt sander to round off the ends of the hangers.

Step 5: Attach Hangers

Attach the 8 hangers to the stem using wood glue. For each hanger;
Add only a small amount of glue to the hole, add in biscuit, add a small amount onto the side of the hanger.
Attach biscuit into hole.
Wipe away any excess glue.
Use masking tape if needed to make sure the hanger drys fully attached.
Leave overnight to dry (as per glue instructions).

Step 6: Attach Base

Connect the base to the stem of the stand;

Measure and mark out the centre with a pencil.
Use a drill press to drill a hole through the centre of the base.
Turn the stem upside down, measure and mark the centre.
Use a handheld drill to drill a smaller hole into the centre of the base of the stem.
Drill in a large screw into the base and stem of the bag stand.

Step 7: Add Filler to Gaps (if Required)

If needed, use filler in gaps between the hangers and the stem. I used Timbermate Woodfiller.

Use gloves, the woodfiller container recommended a using putty knife, I found that it was easier to manipulate using my index finger.
Use good quality (painters) masking tape - to protect the wood surrouding the gaps to be filled.
Fill in the gaps using a small amount of filler and remove excess.
Remove tape straight away (while filler is still wet), to give clean edges and surfaces.
Leave to dry (follow instructions on filler bottle).